How long does it take to receive Bitcoin or Ethereum?

When somebody sends you Bitcoin or Ethereum, you’ll receive a notification from Luno.

Incoming Bitcoin transactions will appear in your transaction list (found in Wallets > Bitcoin wallet) but it requires three Blockchain confirmations before it is considered received. Only once the transaction has three confirmations, will you be able to send your Bitcoin to somebody else or sell it.

Incoming Ethereum transactions (found in Wallets > Ethereum wallet) will require 30 confirmations. These confirmations usually happen faster than on the Bitcoin network.

Once a transaction has enough confirmations, we’ll send you a notification and it will also appear in the appropriate wallet, ready to be saved, sold or spent.

How long do confirmations take?

Transactions must be confirmed on the Bitcoin or Ethereum blockchain before they are considered valid. This takes time and is not within Luno’s control.

Confirmation times vary. Confirmation times depend on the transaction fee paid by the sender. If the fee is high enough, Bitcoin transactions can obtain three confirmations in as little as 30 minutes. If the fee is low, it may take days for a transaction to be confirmed.

If your incoming Bitcoin or Ethereum receive transaction is not being confirmed, we can only recommend being patient or approaching the sender and asking them to redo the transaction with a higher fee.